When Last Did You Have A Spiritual Checkup?

A young Christian lady had
scheduled a business appointment with a client for 9am on Monday. Being a
worker in the church and nursing mother of a seven months old girl, her Sunday
was so occupied that she barely had time to even press her clothes to be worn
the next day.

She was moving from one chore to
another and eventually by 8:30pm, her to-do list was fulfilled for the day. She
had only wanted to rest few minutes before dinner, only for a terrible sleep to
overwhelm her. Being an early riser, it was odd that she woke up just five
minutes before 9am on Monday. With much anxiety and remorse, she prepared
hurriedly and off she went for the meeting.

And there was an unfriendly traffic
gridlock, what she least needed at the time. The client had called and wanted
to cancel the meeting due to her lateness; “Please, kindly exercise some
patience. I will be with you in the next ten minutes,” she said just to appease
the client. Whereas, she was only five bus stops away from her house and many
miles away from the rendezvous. Though she managed to meet the client
eventually after several hours of delay, the fact remains that, she had lied.

Three days later, her boss told her
to follow-up on a client and send feedback the same day. Amidst several tasks to be completed for the day, she forgot and because her boss
didn’t ask at the moment, neither did she bother to carry out the assignment.
Her boss asked for a progress report the following day and so as not to appear
incompetent she replied: “My apologies sir. I had called the client but the
number wasn’t reachable. I will try again and get back to you.” The boss retorted,
“That’s fine but get back to me as soon as possible.” Yet again, she had lied.

She started her week with
compromise. One misdeed led to another and more lies ensued that week. Sadly, no
guilt what so ever did she feel and I guess she would say in her heart, ‘I didn’t
really mean to lie. The circumstances were just beyond me and I know God being
a merciful Father understands and will forgive me.’

This is how some Christians really
are, daily compromising their faith and allowing ‘those little foxes that spoil
the vine’ to dominate their lives and ridicule their testimonies of salvation.
They neither watch nor pray and alas, fall into diverse temptations that give
the devil an opportunity to trample on their faith and convictions.

In the epistle of Apostle Paul to
the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 13:5), he admonished them, and by extension all
born-again believers, to examine themselves whether they are still in the
faith; proving themselves by the standards of God in His word.

As Christians, we cannot afford
to be nonchalant with our spiritual lives while gratifying the physical. The
days are evil and seductions to backslide are taking several forms to the
detriment of babes in Christ. The enemy of our souls is unrelenting on his
intentions to multiply the sorrows of men and keep them in eternal bondage.

Hence, it is so important that we
tread with caution, taking stock of our lives daily to know with certainty whether
we are still right with God, for no one knows when the trumpet of rapture shall
sound. And how painful and pitiable it would be to claim to know and serve the
Lord and yet, not make heaven eventually just because of negligence of being spiritually
conscious in examining our lives.

The Lord Jesus Christ admonishes
us to watch and pray so we will not fall into temptations (Mark 14:38; Matthew
26:41). Jesus knew that for the true believer temptations, persecutions and
trails are inevitable (John 16:33, see also Acts 14:22, 2 Timothy 3:12). Therefore,
He exhorts us not for a second to lose our guards and often observe a spiritual
checkup for we know not when the appointed time will come (Mark 13:33; See also
1 Timothy 4:16).

Unlike the young Christian lady
whose story was earlier told, “No compromise” must a sincere
Christian be.

"No compromise with error, for Bible truth we stand,

Let none remove the landmarks erected by God’s hand.

With loyalty our watchword and faith in Christ our stay,

We’ll bravely storm the forts of sin and thro’ Him win the day.

No compromise with worldliness, no yielding to the wrong,

No lowering the standard that’s stood thro’ ages long;

With Jesus as our leader, His Spirit as our guide,

We’ll firmly stand for righteousness whatever may betide."

We are truly in the last days
where the seeds of the antichrist are on rampage. Sin lures at every corner and
takes prey of souls that aren’t vigilant of the devices of the devil. Such
people take lightly the exhortation of the Christian
Hymn: “Christian, seek not
yet repose.”

"Gird thy heavenly armor on,

Wear it ever night and day;

Ambushed lies the evil one:

Watch and pray."

We mustn’t be so lax as to allow
the devil rob us of our salvation bought for a costly price at Calvary. Even
spiritual complacency in times like this is as well dangerous for “if any man
thinks he stands, he should take heed lest he falls” (1 Corinthians 10:12).

Finally, dear friends, let us
examine and probe our ways, and let us return to the Lord should we find any blemish
in our hearts and don’t measure up with God’s standards (Lamentations 3:40). Watch
and pray in the morning, at noon and at night, and put away everything and
anything that may hinder us from making heaven.

Run with perseverance the race marked
out for us as believers, looking unto Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith
(Hebrews 12:1-2). And not forgetting that, it’s only those that endure till the
end will be saved (Matthew 24:13; Matthew 10:22).

There’s so much at stake. We can’t
afford to miss heaven for anything in this world or let our loved ones miss it
too. So, when last did you have a spiritual checkup of your life? Should Christ
come this very minute, will you make heaven?

Examine yourself today and may God
himself, the God of peace, sanctify you and me through and through. May your
whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Amen. (1 Thessalonian 5:23).

Please share this with others so
they may continue in the faith and prepare their souls for the coming of the
Lord.